My 2022 Year of Work in Review

Journaling is one of the few habits I've been able to maintain for five years.

Dec 22, 2022

I began a daily work journal in 2018 after the passing of my grandparents. My Grandma Checketts was a meticulous record keeper. She kept a calendar in her kitchen where she would write down the day's events. At the end of the week, she would copy the week’s events from the calendar into a log book. She did this ritual for nearly 70 years.

After her passing, I went through her log book and read about dates from the past. I read about her experience when my dad was born, or when my parents were married, and when I was born. Reading her honest thoughts and feelings about an event was revelatory. I viewed the log book like a time machine—it was a portal into the past where I could gain knowledge and understanding about my family and myself.

Inspired by her devotion and commitment to writing about her life, I started a log book in Google Sheets. My process is simple. I list the date, day of the week, what I want to accomplish, what I did accomplish, and my thoughts and feelings about the day. This process of scrutinizing myself has kept me honest. I can check in with myself daily to see if I’m improving and getting closer to my goals.

My 2022 at a Glance

As of this writing, I worked 230 days. I wrote 22,572 words and 154,066 characters. Had this been a book, it would have been close in length to Animal Farm (29,966 words) and Of Mice and Men (29,160 words).

The most written words from my 2022 work journal were:

Bootcamp
Finished
Morning
Nice
Projects
Started
Today
Work

The top project I wanted to accomplish outside of my day job was completing my Web Developer Bootcamp on Udemy. I started my Bootcamp at the beginning of 2021 and finished on May 20, 2022. The total course content lasted 64 hours. Thanks to this Bootcamp I have a better understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Express, REST APIs, and databases.

I built an Express app that I deployed via Heroku. You can view my work on my GitHub page. What’s more, I created a user interface for my work journal using the Google Sheets API.

I’ve been able to use the knowledge I gained from my Bootcamp at my day job. I successfully built and deployed blog subsites for Saint Alphonsus Health System, and Holy Cross Health. I’m no longer just a marketing professional. I can take on web development projects that bolster marketing efforts for my company.

Taking Time Off

Work is important but so is taking time off. I was able to get away for a few weeks this summer, and for when my son was born. I went to Utah in July to see my extended family. I never travel over Thanksgiving and Christmas due to high prices and stress. Summer is the perfect time to escape the humid Georgia summer and go to the desert heat of Utah.

My son was born at the end of October this year. I took three weeks off to be with my wife and kids. I went to the park daily with my other kids, bonded with the baby, played with Legos, helped my wife, and finished lingering chores around the house.

My Plans for 2023

My plans for 2023 won't be as ambitious as they were for 2022. With a new baby at home and two other kids to take care of, my wife and I are in survival mode most days. But that doesn’t mean we get to slack off and be complacent.

My top priority for next year is to get back to the level of fitness I had when I had one kid. I'm working on the discipline to get up early and exercise. I get moody and short if I haven’t exercised in a few days. Nobody wants to wake up early if a baby has been crying all night. My overall mood and focus improve when I put in a good workout.

I want to continue improving my web development skills. I’ll be updating my website with something custom this year. I considered making a blog but I prefer the functionality of Substack. The new site will showcase who I am better with descriptions and a portfolio of work.

Journaling

Naturally, I’ll still be journaling. Over the past five years, journaling has become habitual. I don’t even think about doing it anymore—it’s just something I do. I find the practice to be cleansing for my mind. I love being honest with myself. I don’t have to be polite. Being brutally honest enables me to see past my weaknesses and determine what actions I need to take to improve.

Please, contact me if you need help starting a work journal. I appreciate your attention.